Freckled Hen

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Springtime during my childhood seemed bright and sunny. I’m sure there were gray March days and rain and slushy snow, but who wants to waste memory space remembering that?

We are standing on the edge of spring right now. We have signed up for baseball and track, our garden seeds are growing under their light upstairs in the spare room. I feel as though it is like being perched on the end of the diving board afraid to take that first plunge of the season into the cold pool water below.

The longer hours of daylight have been coaxing my indoor plants with such sweet rewards.

Lately as I plant seeds or stitch or write lists or make dinner I listen to my little guy and his imagination.

He has a very imaginative imagination. Most everything has to do with a farmer and a train. He makes my heart beat with such happy beats. He makes every day his adventure and I am so grateful I am a part of it!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

A winter walk down our street made me appreciate another season in New England yet again. I think of all the places we have lived and how much I missed it here. Some days I wasn’t sure exactly what I was missing as we were living and functioning wherever we were. Life was going on. My walk last weekend told me just what it was. It was the stillness of an antiquated New England street after a fresh snow. It was the 19th century houses heavy with icicles and frosted window panes. It was the crunch of light, fluffy snow compacting under my boots. It was my neighbor’s plaid fur lined hat and friendly wave. It was the way the wood smoke smells drifting out of the chimneys as it find its way upwards, past the tall snowy pines and leafless birch trees until it has spread out into the solid gray sky.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

The snow is blowing and swirling in gusts up against the house. I am glad to be inside.

It is warm and cozy, we have food and wood…and each other. We will nest within and wait.

The younger kids and I set out after a fresh snow and look for animal tracks. We have found deer and moose , we follow their prints until we know with certainty it is time to turn back. The walk home is always longer than the investigative walk. But it is still fun. It is a simple notion I set on this winter…to enjoy winter you must fill it with happy memories. This is much easier than I realized!

The goings on around here are both big and small. My husband will retire this summer, we have had many adventures these last 23 years during his career. Things are sure to be different, I say that with excitement as I am anxious to see this out-of-uniform person. What will he be like!

Change is good, for the most part, right? Yes! Of course it is!

We have been having work done on the house, this is definitely good. This old 1820 house needed a few pick me ups. What a relief to see proper fixtures, I get so tired of “making do”. You have to finally make those decisions and what a nice treat it is when you see the results. I’ll share some pics soon, when the dust is settled and the paint is dry…

Monday, December 1, 2014

We had a long Thanksgiving weekend with a foot of snow and a power outage the day after Thanksgiving which was okay as we had a fridge full of leftovers and an indoor stack of wood for the stove.

The kids were all home, which is the best feeling ever. Too quickly they fly away!

We had a fun party for Henry, who loves coin collecting.

Also we went to Mystic to visit Ken’s mother and discovered my brother had driven down to watch the parade of holiday boats float down the river to the park at the drawbridge. When my brother called I ran straight out of her house to find him amongst the tourists. I found him right away, I felt like a giddy kid running the streets with my brother! We regrouped in her nice, warm house then sat on a quiet piece of riverbank drinking hot chocolate and watching the boats. It was so Christmassy and pretty.

Earlier in the day while out shopping in the village we found Santa sitting on a stone wall… some of us were very excited. He had an artic fox hat, I guess I was staring at it as he asked if I wanted to wear it.

This weekend definitely put me in the Christmas mood.

Do you ever wake up and feel so happy and grateful…even when things aren’t perfect?

It’s okay they aren’t perfect! It’s okay to be happy when things are askew.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Last Saturday my daughters came home. They filled the house and their younger siblings with happy energy. Hadley lives about 45 minutes away and came over and cooked the most wonderful meal for us. Maggie rode the train in from Boston and we made her a birthday cake. It was very autumny out, we walked the Main Street of our town and admired the colorful leaves.

I loved this day. It is the kind of day I dream of when I wake.

Sometimes I feel so flooded with gratitude about being a mother. Actually I always feel this way. This is what life is about whether you are a child or a mother. Always taking care, always spreading a smile, always loving.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

September is my favorite month. Breezy, blue sky days that are polka dotted with fun stuff like fairy tale parades and lazy afternoons in the library (fyi kid book recommendation above). There is plenty of good weather to grill or… if it’s a cool day, a slowly simmered beef stew with toasted bread.

With the kids in school most days I find myself waiting at the front door to listen for the bus. They are happy and busy and tired at the end of the day. I fight myself not to tell them I miss them all day long! Because I do, usually. I mean, it is nice to run errands and zip around with just the little guy. We’re home by nap time and the house is even tidied up before supper. But it feels empty and I feel fickle.

Our woodpiles are just about stacked (thank you, husband). We have been watching The Roosevelts documentary that has been airing on PBS. Have you?

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About Me

My favorite things are the color of the sky and the sea. Also taking walks through each season. I love noticing little footprints in the snow, the laughter of my children. I write my way through my life, whether it is in an old notebook or on the computer.
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